New Delhi: A team from the National Investigation Agency (NIA), as well as officials from other Central agencies, visited the Ahmedabad airport crash site to assist in the ongoing investigation, sources said on Friday.
The agencies visited the spot on Thursday following the tragic incident involving the international flight AI-171, bound for London, which crashed soon after the catastrophic takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad.
The Air India flight from Ahmedabad to London, carrying 242 passengers and crew, crashed shortly after takeoff. Barring one miracle survivor, no one else could be rescued. Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was among those killed in the crash. Air India has confirmed that 241 out of 242 people aboard the flight have died.
While initial assessments pointed to a mechanical failure as the likely cause, the presence of the NIA suggests that the government is not ruling out any possibility until all angles are thoroughly investigated.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and local police are already conducting parallel investigations.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft departed at 1.38 pm on Thursday, just minutes after takeoff, it crashed into the hostel mess of BJ Medical College–around 5 kilometers from the Ahmedabad airport where more than 100 students were having lunch. A massive explosion followed flames and thick smoke billowing into the sky, visible from a distance.
The lone survivor has been identified as Vishwaskumar Ramesh, who was en route to London with his brother.